Rimmel Primer

 

image from rimmellondon.com

Price:  $7.59 1 fl oz.

What they say:
"Create a perfect canvas for foundation application. - Skin Perfecting primer smoothes and evens out your complexion - prolongs the wear of your foundation - Minimizes Pores"

What I say:
Let me start this out with saying IT'S ORANGE!  Seriously orange, like what the heck orange.  I mean, you would think they would have other color options, or something...

Okay, now that that's over, on to the rest of it.  First impressions first.  While being orange, it actually blends in!  I know, surprising, isn't it?  I did notice a little more warm cast to my face after application, but it somehow seemed to go away after a minute (or that could have just been the lighting, or me getting used to it).  It was a little hard to blend, but really what primer isn't a little annoying, and my foundation did blend on top of this nicely, without pilling or being a brat.  Lastly, I did notice that my pores were nicely filled in, and not as noticeable.  This is nice for me, because I have huge, oily/combo skin pores of doom.

Past first impressions: I wore this from 3pm to 9pm, along with the Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Foundation, and can't really decide what to say about it.  It melted along with the foundation, but doesn't melt like the Wicked Witch (read: horrible ring of doom).  It did seem to keep my pores from looking like pools of muck, and did come out when I went to clean my face.  Did it make my foundation last?  Hard to say.  I personally don't think that any primer really makes foundaiton last longer, it just makes it melt or integrate into your pores slower, and there is a real difference.

So, like the Rimmel foundation, I would have to say this is just decent.  Unlike the Rimmel foundation, though, I will have to say it might be worth it.  There are very few primers on the market, especially ones that are as easy to get, and cheap.  If you find this on sale, and happen to be in need of a primer, it might be worth your while to test it out.

3.5/5

Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation

 

image from rimmellondon.com

Price: $6.99 1 fl oz.

What they say:
"Rimmel introduces new Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation, a fluid, shine-free formula that leaves your skin looking flawless and fresh for 12 hours. Stay Matte Foundation is formulated with SKINPURE™ Complex: a gentle dose of salicylic acid, a known skin clarifying ingredient, and botanical extracts which help purify skin and minimize the appearance of pores, leaving you with a visibly purified complexion. 12 hours of comfort and confidence.

Go ahead and give your skin an immediate and much-needed confidence boost with this fantastic foundation. It’s the ultimate pick-me-up."

What I say:
This particular product, along with the primer, came to me at a sale at CVS (used to be Longs), when I was bored and waiting for a nearby office to open. I had heard mixed reviews on this foundation, but decided to try it out anyway.

As of this writing, I have just applied for the first time, so I cannot tell you how long it lasts, if it creases, oil-slicks, nothing. I can, however, tell you my first impressions. So far, while not being the best foundation I have ever used, it is not the worst. This foundation has a sheer to maybe medium if I applied it on thick coverage, so I would say it's along the lines of a tinted moisturizer with more coverage, and less moisturizer. The color (in this case, 100, Ivory) was pretty good, but a little yellow. I would have liked the lightest, pinkest foundation to have less yellow to it, but since it applies so sheer, I guess it's not all bad (especially for its price).  This foundation isn't the easiest to blend/spread, but it's not the hardest....  I guess what I'm trying to say so far is that this is an overall C, maybe C+ student foundation.  It's not going to surprise you, but it's not going to disappoint you, either.  Given that it is a drugstore brand, and how cheap you can get it, though, I would have to bump it up to a B because of effort.  If I got something like this from, say, Shiseido, I would be quite angry, but I paid a little over $4 for the thing, so what can I really say.  The finish is matte, and I didn't have to apply powder to get rid of the shinies you sometimes get, but weither this is a good or bad thing has yet to be seen, since the extra layer of powder can help make the foundation stay on.

Past first impressions: This stuff melts off.  Now, I will give it the benefit of the doubt here, since it is summer, I was at a BBQ, and it did fade gracefully, but it melts.  Also, it melted on me in the "here's your pores!" fashion, but everything does ;P (I don't mean settle in).  I wore this from 3pm to 9pm, and there was very little, if any, left in the end.  It didn't crease, so that's something.

So, overall, this is a decent foundation, especially for its price.  I don't think I will purchase again, but I can say that if you need something cheap, you could do worse.

3/5